Finn glided over, offering to refill Virginia’s champagne glass. “The party’s a big hit.”
“How did you attract so many people? You don’t even live here.”
“Bemelmans Bar, baby. I mentioned the exhibit the past week during my show, and of course people jump to do my bidding.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“Where are all your coworkers? I imagine they would have loved this.”
Virginia had considered inviting the other information booth clerks, especially with the lovely photo of Doris that was part of the show, but in the end she had decided against it. “I was worried about inviting them. This place is so fancy, then they’d think I was fancy, and that I was somehow treating my job and the people who worked at Grand Central as objects.” She shook her head. “I’m not making much sense. But I didn’t want them to think I was using them.”
He clutched her arm. “Oh my God. Look. Over there.”
A thin woman with dark chestnut hair stood with a couple of other ladies, studying the photo of the water fountain. She wore a biscuit-colored Chanel suit that fit in perfectly with the surroundings.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Virginia had been besotted with Jackie O since she’d stepped into the political spotlight. Jackie was five years older, practically her contemporary, but maneuvered through the world with a grace and charm that had always eluded Virginia. And now here she was, in the same room as Virginia.
“I can’t believe it. What is she doing here?” Virginia couldn’t help staring, even though everyone in the room was doing likewise, with varying degrees of subtlety.
“I have no idea. Come on, let’s go say hello.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I wouldn’t know what to say.” She held Finn back. “Look, she’s approaching Ruby.”
They shook hands, and Virginia swore Ruby did a small curtsy. That’s my girl.
Virginia gathered up the courage to approach, and together she and Finn walked over, arm in arm, like a bride and groom on their wedding day. They were only a few feet away when another woman swooped in and whispered something in Jackie’s ear. In an instant, Jackie and her two cohorts dashed out of the room and were gone.
“What? Where did they go?” asked Virginia.
The other woman, an elegant lady in pearls, overheard and turned to her. “Sorry about this. Apparently, there’s a scrum of photographers staked out in the lobby. We had to get her out the back door fast.” She held out her hand. “My name is Adelaide Parsons, and I work at the Municipal Art Society.”
Virginia recognized the organization, an urban planning and preservation group, from her committee days. She shook hands and introduced Finn and Ruby. “My daughter is the photographer.”
“Indeed? Your photos are glorious.”
“It was all my mom’s idea.” Ruby slung an arm around Virginia. “She works in the terminal.”
“You make a good team. It’s a wonderful exhibition.”
Virginia beamed with motherly pride. “We’re hoping it might help raise awareness.”
“I wish it were so. We’ve been fighting Penn Central on this since the late 1960s. Unfortunately, I don’t believe there’s much chance we’ll win the court case at this point, but thank you for trying.”
“You don’t think they’ll uphold the landmark status?” asked Virginia.
“Not the way things are going. The judge isn’t very sympathetic to our cause. If he rules against us, Penn Central will be allowed to build on top of the terminal, or demolish it entirely.”
She gestured toward the easels, before letting her hand fall limply to her side. “At the very least, we’ll have a lovely record of the past.”
CHAPTER EIGHTTEEN
January 1975
The clerks buzzed with news at the information booth Monday morning.
“Did you hear?” Winston asked Virginia. “Penn Central won their court case. I heard them talking about it in the Station Master’s Office. The judge declared that Grand Central isn’t a landmark, so they can tear it down or do whatever they want.”
Coming so soon after the success of Ruby’s exhibition, the news was especially crushing. Virginia wondered about Dennis’s reaction. He must be pleased. His colleagues were probably popping the champagne right about now.
But Virginia’s fellow employees looked worried. Totto dug his hands into his pockets, ignoring the man gesturing outside his window, and Doris looked like she was about to cry.
“What will happen to all of us?” asked Winston.
Terrence shook his head. “It’ll be the perfect opportunity to lay us off and replace us with younger folk. We’ll have to find new jobs.”
The unemployment rate was nearly 11 percent. Inflation was close to twelve. None of the information booth clerks were good for anything other than answering transportation-related questions, and they should be looking forward to retirement, not the unemployment line.
“I’ll go find out what’s going on in the Station Master’s Office,” said Terrence. “Virginia, cover my window.”
Two months ago, the request would have struck fear into her heart. But by now, she knew the answers to the most-asked questions, and the few she didn’t, she nudged Totto next to her and asked him. He threw her a glassy stare every time, but she didn’t care.
Ruby appeared at the window. “Mom. Can you get away?”
“Give me five minutes.”
As soon as Terrence returned, shaking his head and looking even more depressed than when he’d left, Virginia took a break and met Ruby on the West Balcony. “How did it go?”
“Samson Coutan doesn’t exist. There’s no one there by that name. The Lorettes have been lying the whole time.”
Stunned, Virginia leaned over the railing, staring down at the swirls of people below. “I was so stupid.”
Ruby touched her shoulder. “You had no idea they were crooks. You couldn’t have known. You’re not stupid. I just saw you answer eighty questions about this place in five minutes; you were amazing.”
“You were watching me?” Embarrassed, she straightened up and brushed off her sleeves.
“Yes. You were great. Especially with the people who were rude.”
“I guess you get used to it.” But her daughter’s compliments didn’t make her feel any better. “I got a degree in art history, and now I answer questions about departure times.”
“And your daughter’s a barmaid. As Dad keeps on reminding me.”
While the recent blast of honesty with her daughter had been refreshing, Virginia was liable to bring her daughter right down with her if she wasn’t careful. That was the last thing she wanted. “Listen. Don’t let Dad pick on you. You’re working, and there are very few jobs to be had in the city right now. Ignore him. But at the same time, remember that he has a good heart, he loves you, even if he’s sometimes caught up in that fancy world of his. We’re not like that, and that’s fine.”
Ruby nodded. “What do we do now? We can’t give up. Let’s go back down there and confront the Lorettes again. Or go to the police and tell them that they lied to us and stole it.”
Virginia hated to let Ruby down. Or lose this new connection with her daughter. She considered calling Janice at the Art Students League and ratting out the Lorettes, but if Janice telephoned them, they’d tell her that Virginia had taken it from the art school, had lied about finding it at her aunt’s house. Which made her look as shifty as the Lorettes.